DOL Releases Benefit-related Penalty Amounts for 2025 IMPORTANT DATES Jan. 15, 2025 The increased amounts apply to civil penalties that are assessed after Jan. 15, 2025. Nov. 2, 2015 The adjusted penalty amounts apply to violations occurring after this date. … Continue reading →

New Federal Transparency Requirements for PBMs   On Feb. 3, 2026, the Consolidated Appropriations Act (CAA) of 2026 was signed into law, a funding package containing significant reforms for the pharmaceutical benefit manager (PBM) industry. As background, health plans generally … Continue reading →

DOL Updates Employee Benefit Plan Enforcement Projects for 2026    The U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) has announced updates to its national enforcement projects for fiscal year 2026. According to the DOL, these projects highlight areas in which the agency … Continue reading →

IRS Provides Guidance on Trump Accounts for Children   On Dec. 2, 2025, the IRS issued Notice 2025-68 announcing upcoming regulations and providing initial guidance regarding Trump Accounts. Created by the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, Trump Accounts are a … Continue reading →

OL Updates Model Employer CHIP Notice The U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) has released a new model Employer Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) Notice with information current as of March 17, 2025. As a reminder, the Children’s Health Insurance Program … Continue reading →

Class-action Lawsuits Target Health Plan Tobacco Surcharges   Numerous class-action lawsuits have recently been filed against employers alleging that health plan premium surcharges related to tobacco use violate federal compliance requirements. These lawsuits have been filed by current and former … Continue reading →

ERISA Fiduciary Breach Claims Dismissed in Prescription Drug Lawsuit   On Jan. 24, 2025, a U.S. District Court for the District of New Jersey dismissed two claims in a class-action lawsuit filed against Johnson & Johnson (J&J), which alleged that … Continue reading →

New ACA Reporting and Penalty Relief   At the end of 2024, Congress passed two new laws, the Paperwork Burden Reduction Act and the Employer Reporting Improvement Act, which eased Affordable Care Act (ACA) reporting requirements for employers and set … Continue reading →

The Impact of SCOTUS Overruling Chevron Deference On June 28, 2024, the U.S. Supreme Court issued a decision in Loper Bright Enterprises v. Raimondo and Relentless Inc. v. Department of Commerce. The Court overruled its 1984 decision in Chevron, U.S.A. … Continue reading →

Biden Administration Cancels $7.7 Billion in Student Debt for 160,000 Borrowers On May 21, 2024, President Joe Biden announced that an additional 160,000 Americans would get their student debt—a collective $7.7 billion—canceled. With this move, the Biden-Harris administration has offered … Continue reading →